RAF 100th Anniversary Photo Thread
AAh, Britannia, and the heady days of the mid 60s when the RAF could send two Brits to the USA for a fortnight to take two Towers cadet entries to visit Washington, Colorado Springs and 3 days R&R in New York. The navigator of our aircraft signed his route reports variously as Henry the Navigator, Vasco da Gama and John Cabot. They even took a bunch of USAF cadets on an aerial tour of the Rockies for an hour or so. How times have changed. Now not even the PM can always get an RAF aircraft when she wants one.
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Britannia indeed ... flying CCF/ATC cadets to RCAF Merville and USAFB Rhein-Main on the first legs of our 1963 International Air Cadet Exchange. Thank you, XL659 ... and XN398 for the inbound some 4 weeks later. Interesting that they used London Airport (Heathrow) - I presume to make it easier for the cadets to get to than somewhere in the wilds of Oxfordshire!
Last edited by MPN11; 27th May 2018 at 13:08.
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Four generations of RAF here 
WW1. My Great-Grandfather (RFC) in 1917 with his 2 sons. On 1 Apr 18 he transferred to the RAF, as did his RNAS son. Sadly Jack, the Army one, did not survive the war.
WW2. My uncle ... I believe he made cpl eventually!
Cold War. I did my bit too!
WW1. My Great-Grandfather (RFC) in 1917 with his 2 sons. On 1 Apr 18 he transferred to the RAF, as did his RNAS son. Sadly Jack, the Army one, did not survive the war.
WW2. My uncle ... I believe he made cpl eventually!
Cold War. I did my bit too!
AAh, Britannia, and the heady days of the mid 60s when the RAF could send two Brits to the USA for a fortnight to take two Towers cadet entries to visit Washington, Colorado Springs and 3 days R&R in New York. The navigator of our aircraft signed his route reports variously as Henry the Navigator, Vasco da Gama and John Cabot. They even took a bunch of USAF cadets on an aerial tour of the Rockies for an hour or so. How times have changed. Now not even the PM can always get an RAF aircraft when she wants one.
Last edited by brakedwell; 31st May 2018 at 15:07. Reason: Additional Resolute Bay photos
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I took these photos during my first overseas posting to 5 FTS (RAF Thornhill), S. Rhodesia between 1951-1953 when the RAF was just 34-years old.
The two Harvard's above collided in mid-air three-days later at the Rhodes Centenary Air Rally at Salisbury in S. Rhodesia killing the three occupants (newspaper cutting below). Aircraft crashed away from spectators and thankfully no one on the ground was injured.
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The two Harvard's above collided in mid-air three-days later at the Rhodes Centenary Air Rally at Salisbury in S. Rhodesia killing the three occupants (newspaper cutting below). Aircraft crashed away from spectators and thankfully no one on the ground was injured.
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Last edited by Warmtoast; 31st May 2018 at 15:27.
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Good post Warmtoast
Jaguar from trainer to fighter as reflected in the shadow it casts
Jaguar.. In the shadow of the trainer lurked the fighter it would become. by Tony Taylor, on Flickr
Jaguar from trainer to fighter as reflected in the shadow it casts
Jaguar.. In the shadow of the trainer lurked the fighter it would become. by Tony Taylor, on Flickr
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brakedwell: If I remember correctly, whilst you were taking one half of that year's IDC to the States, another Brit was taking the rest around Europe and the Middle East, also with lots of time off. Those trips consumed an enormous number of airframe days from the month's Brit task - and there speaks the Upavon 'Tasking' chap at the time. There was no way they were ever going to survive the 74/75 Defence Review and its reduction of the ATF, but they must have been exceedingly enjoyable for both crew and pax whilst they lasted.
(The Imperial Defence College was the earlier name for what became the Royal College of Defence Studies [RCDS], and I've no idea what it might be called now, if anything of the kind still exists.)
(The Imperial Defence College was the earlier name for what became the Royal College of Defence Studies [RCDS], and I've no idea what it might be called now, if anything of the kind still exists.)
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Warmtoast
Hi Warmtoast-a friend of mine also did his flying training in Rhodesia (at RAF Heany) at roughly the same time as you I think.
He told me his course was the last course to use the Tiger Moth for EFT. The course after switched to the Chipmunk. He continued onto the Harvard and then was posted to Meteors.
He told me his course was the last course to use the Tiger Moth for EFT. The course after switched to the Chipmunk. He continued onto the Harvard and then was posted to Meteors.
/https://public-media.smithsonianmag.com/filer/36/58/3658a588-a7ec-4da2-ab4e-819f51b90025/09c_jj2018_ericlong_t8a9480_live.jpg)
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